This invention relates generally to a system for providing preprogrammed access to a gasoline dispenser and, more particularly, to a system of this sort which enables handicapped individuals to access gasoline dispensers that would otherwise be impossible or difficult to access.
Gasoline dispensers dispense large quantities of gasoline, which is volatile and potentially very harmful if not properly handled and, as a result, a number of safety measures must be taken in connection with the dispensers to ensure that customers who dispense gasoline using the dispensers are fully protected.
For example, it is required that gasoline dispensers be protected from being struck by automobiles approaching the dispensers for fueling, and the gasoline dispensers are therefore generally surrounded by barriers spaced therefrom and/or they are mounted on raised islands or the like.
While these safety measures are necessary for the protection of normal users of the gasoline dispensers, they inherently create a significant barrier to many handicapped individuals that make access thereto physically inaccessible or difficult to access by such individuals. For example, the aforesaid barrier associated with gasoline dispensers can make it physically impossible for a handicapped individual who is in a wheelchair to reach the control panel of the gasoline dispenser and press the necessary control buttons to obtain the particular gasoline (e.g., octane rating) and method of payment (e.g., credit card) needed by a particular individual. Other forms of disability make it difficult or impossible to operate the fueling nozzle, read displayed instructions or values on the display screen of the gasoline dispenser or hear the voice of the attendant over an intercom.
Another type of handicap that an individual could have is color blindness. It may be difficult for a color blind individual to read a color LCD or CRT screen located on the dispenser, depending on the color schemes shown. Fuel dispensers are also becoming increasingly more advanced with the addition of color LCD or CRT screens on the dispenser. These screens provide interaction and directions to the individual and can also provide information not related to the fueling process. A color blind individual may not be able to distinguish variations of color on the screen depending on the colors shown and the individual's particular type of color blindness handicap.
While the American Disabilities Act (ADA) is generally designed to remove or lessen the number of barriers to which handicapped individuals are subjected, implementation of the remedial aspects of the ADA has been inhibited or delayed because of the aforesaid competing public policy that users of gasoline dispensers must be protected by appropriate barriers and the like. This dichotomy of conflicting interests have resulted in the lack of a satisfactory solution to the problem of providing convenient access to gasoline dispensers by handicapped individuals.
In U.S. Patent No. 5,072,380 to Randelman et al, a system is disclosed which utilizes a transponder mounted on a vehicle to communicate between a vehicle and a computer system at a service station, and which permits the transfer of certain information between the customer and the service station at which the system is used. However, this system does not contemplate or suggest any method of utilizing specific information associated with a handicapped individual to permit ready access to a gasoline pump by such handicapped individual.